1. Field
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus configured to access multiple external storage media, an information processing method and a computer-readable medium embodying a program therefore.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, personal computers (information processing apparatuses) which can be easily carried, for example, like a notebook computer have been spreading. Along with the popularization of the personal computers or the like, chances of having a personal computer stolen or losing it are increasing. If a personal computer is lost and found by a third person, there is a possibility that various data, such as personal data, company data and important data, stored in the personal computer is obtained by the third person.
Accordingly, there has been a typical technique for providing a detection section for detecting theft or loss of a personal computer for the personal computer (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-305852, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-16539, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-183866 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-62156). According to this technique, a user of a personal computer first backs up data stored in the personal computer to one or multiple external storage media (for example, a USB memory, a server apparatus and the like) in advance. Hereinafter, data generated in an external storage medium by backup will be referred to as backup data.
After that, if the detection section detects theft or loss of the personal computer, a data erasure section provided for the personal computer erases the data stored in the personal computer. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the data stored in the personal computer from being obtained by a third person. In the case where a large amount of data is stored in the personal computer, several hours may be required until erasure of the data by the data erasure section is completed.
By downloading the backup data from the external storage medium to a new personal computer, it is possible to restore the data which had been stored in the personal computer previously used before the time point of backup.